Interactive Map

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GTA Map of Homeless Resources

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Table: GTA Homeless Resources

Name Phone Location MealTime Services
The Dale Ministries 647-926-6352 201 Cowan Ave Takeaway Meals only Mon 1pm, Thurs 10am NA
Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) 416-537-2262 1499 Queen St. W. Mon-Thurs 9:30am-10:30pm, Fri 1-2pm, Sat-Sun 11:15-12:15pm Showers, Harm reduction supplies, clothing, computers, WiFi, phones
St. Francis Table 416-532-4172 1322 Queen St W Mon 4:30-6pm, Tues-Thurs 12-1pm 4:30-6pm, Fri and Sun 12-1pm NA
St. Felix 24-Hour Respite 416-203-1624 69 Fraser Ave. Takeaway Meals only NA
Bonar-Parkdale Presbyterian Church 416-532-3729 250 Dunn Ave. Takeaway Meals Only 3rd Sun of the month at 3pm NA
Masaryk-Cowan Centre 416-392-6928 220 Cowan Ave. NA Showers, Washrooms
Allan A. Lamport Stadium 416-392-1366 1155 King St. W. NA Showers, Washrooms
Native Youth Resource Centre 416-969-8510 655 Bloor St. W. Mon-Fri 9am, 12-1pm, 5-6pm Internet, WiFi, phones
Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre 416-792-8941 x221 854 Bloor St. W. Mon-Fri 10-11am, 12-1pm Computers, Laundry & showers (call to book)
Sistering 416-926-9762 962 Bloor St. W. 12-2pm, 7-9pm Showers available during opening hours, Harm reduction supplies, Phone, WiFi, Laundry (during opening hours)
Westmoreland Parkette NA 760 Dovercourt Rd. NA Portable toilets
Church of St. Stephen in-the-Fields 416-526-5438 103 Bellevue Ave. Fri 6-10pm, Sat and Sun 7-8:30am WiFi
Evergreen Centre for Youth 416-929-9614 365 Spadina Ave. Mon-Thurs 12-1pm, 4-5pm (except Fri) Harm reduction supplies, computers, phones
The Scott Mission 416-923-8872 x202 502 Spadina Ave. Mon-Sat (Sat takeout only) 8-9:30am and 10am-12pm, Sun (takeout only) 8am, 12pm Showers (8-11am), Laundry (8-10:30am), Clothing
The Corner Drop-in. 416-925-2103 x2260 260 Augusta Ave. Mon-Fri and Sun 7:30am and 10:45am Showers Mon-Fri, 7:30-10:30am, Sun,
8-10:30am, Harm reduction supplies, Laundry (Mon-Fri and Sun 8-9:45am), WiFi, computers, phone
Evangel Hall 416-504-3563 552 Adelaide St. W. Mon-Fri 10:30am-12:30pm, Sun 5-6pm Showers Mon-Fri 9am-12:30pm, Laundry, Clothing (2nd and 4th Wed)
St. Thomas’s Church 416-979-2323 383 Huron St. Takeaway Meal Service only Fri 6-7pm NA
Toronto Lawyers Feed the Hungry 416-947-3412 130 Queen St W. Tues and Wed 5pm, Thurs 6:45am, Sun 10am NA
The Meeting Place 416-532-4828 588 Queen St. W. Sat 12:30-2:30pm Showers during opening hours, Harm reduction supplies, Laundry, Computers, Phone
YMCA: Wagner Green 647-632-2500 7 Vanauley St. Mon-Fri 9-10am, 11am-12pm, 3pm (snack), 4pm Showers by appointment only, Computers, Laundry
St. Andrew’s OOTC 416-593-5600 73 Simcoe St. Mon 5-7 pm (until March 25), Tues 7-8:30am Clothing (Tues morning)
Holy Rosary OOTC 416-923-8471 354 St. Clair Ave. W. 12-1pm (until March 16) NA
Blythwood OOTC, Outreach at Nathan Phillips Square NA 100 Queen St W Takeaway Meal Service only on Sat 2:30-4pm NA
Harrison Pool 416-392-7984 15 Stephanie St. NA Showers, Washrooms
Trinity Community Centre 416-392-0743 155 Crawford St. NA Showers, Washrooms
Trinity Bellwoods Park NA 790 Queen St W. NA Portable toilets
Clarence Square NA 25 Clarence Square NA Portable toilets
Church of the Holy Trinity 416-598-4521 19 Trinity Square Takeaway Meal Service only Tues-Wed, 12-1:30pm Clothing, Harm reduction supplies, Hygiene kits
St. James Cathedral 416-364-7865 x222 65 Church St. Fri 1:30-3:30pm NA
Church of the Redeemer 416-922-4948 162 Bloor St. W. NA NA
The 519 416-392-6874 519 Church St. Tues (trans only) 6-7:30pm, Sun 4-4:45pm Harm reduction supplies, Emergency clothing
Fred Victor: Women’s 24-7 Drop-in 416-364-7739 67 Adelaide St. E. Takeaway Meal Service only 7 days per wk (8:15am, 12pm, 6pm) NA
Sanctuary 416-922-0628 25 Charles St. E. Tues 11am-3pm and Thurs 5-9pm Showers during meal times, Harm reduction supplies, WiFi
Covenant House 416-598-4898 20 Gerrard St. E. Mon-Fri 12-7pm, Snacks 24-7 Showers available during opening hours; Computers; Nurse
Met United OOTC 416-363-0331 56 Queen St. E. Fri 9:30-11:30am NA
St. Basil’s OOTC 416-926-7110 50 St. Joseph St. Mon and Tues 11:30am-12:30pm NA
Wellesley Community Centre 416-392-0227 495 Sherbourne St. NA Showers, Washrooms
Rosedale Valley NA 500 Rosedale Valley Rd. NA Portable toilets
Union Station NA 65 Front St. NA Washrooms
All Saints Church-Community Centre 416-368-7768 315 Dundas St. E. Mon-Thurs 9:30am, 12:30pm, Wed 6pm Snacks during opening hours, Harm reduction supplies, Nurse, WiFi, Computers, Phone
Fred Victor 416-364-8228 145 Queen St. E. Takeaway Meal Service only Mon-Fri 11am, 4pm NA
Council Fire 416-360-4350 439 Dundas St. E. 7 days per wk, 9:30-10am and 1-1:30pm NA
Fred Victor CRC 416-363-4234 40 Oak St. Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat, 12-1pm NA
Haven Toronto 416-366-5377 170 Jarvis St. 7 days per wk 8:15-9:15 am, 12:15-1:15pm Showers during opening hours, Clothing, Nurse, Dentist
Margaret’s 416-463-1481 x218 323 Dundas St. E. 7 days per wk 7-8:30am, 11am-12pm Phone, Doctor
Salvation Army Gateway 416-368-8710 160 Jarvis St. Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat, Sun, 5-5:30pm NA
St. Luke’s OOTC 416-924-9619 353 Sherbourne St. Wed and Sun, 5-7pm NA
John Innes Community Recreation Centre 416-392-6779 150 Sherbourne St. NA Showers, Washrooms
Regent Park CHC 416-203-4506 465 Dundas St. E. NA Showers, Washrooms, Laundry
Allan Gardens NA 160 Gerrard St. E. NA Portable toilets
Moss Park. NA 140 Sherbourne St. NA Portable toilets
Regent Park NA 600 Dundas St. E. NA Portable toilets
Good Shepherd 416-869-3619 412 Queen St. E. 7 days per wk, 2-4pm Clothing
Fontbonne Ministries - Mustard Seed 416-465-6069 791 Queen St. E. Fri-Sun 11:30am-1pm Snack during opening hours, Clothing Fri 10am-1pm
St. John the Compassionate 416-466-1357 155 Broadview Ave. Tues 6-8:30am, Wed 6-8:30am and 5pm, Thurs and Fri 6-8:30am and 1:30pm NA
Friends of Ruby 416-359-0237 489 Queen St. E. NA Harm reduction supplies, WiFi
South Riverdale Community Health Centre 416-461-1925 955 Queen St. E. NA Harm reduction supplies
East End United OOTC 416-461-7797 310 Danforth Ave. Fri 6-7:30pm and Sat 8-8:30am Clothing, Haircuts (monthly), Overnight shelter (30 beds, abstinence based)
St. Ann’s OOTC 416-466-2127 120 First Ave. Thurs 3:30-4:30pm (until Apr 4) NA
Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre 416-392-0751 870 Queen St. E. NA Showers, Washrooms
Matty Eckler Recreation Centre 416-392-0750 953 Gerrard St. E. NA Showers, Washrooms
Jimmie Simpson Park NA 879 Queen St. E. NA Portable toilets
Syme Woolner 416-766-4634 2468 Eglinton Ave. W. 7 days per wk, 9-10am and 12-1:30pm Harm reduction supplies, Clothing, Computers
Weston King Neighbourhood Centre 416-241-9898 2017 Weston Rd. Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat, 10-11am and 1-2pm, Tues 10-11am and 6-7pm, Fri 11-12pm Showers (Wed-Fri during opening hours), Harm reduction supplies, Laundry (Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 9am-1pm), Clothing
Community Place Hub 416-323-1429 1765 Weston Rd. Mon-Fri 10-11:30am and 12:30-2:30pm, Wed 5-6:30pm NA
Weston King: Mount Dennis 416-572-0203 1269 Weston Rd. Takeaway Meal Services only Sat 10:30am and 5:30pm, Sun 5:30pm NA
Yorkminster Park OOTC 416-922-1167 1585 Yonge St. Wed 5:30-8:30pm (until Apr 5) TTC tokens, Clothing
Glenview Presbyterian OOTC 416-488-1156 1 Glenview Ave. Sun 3:30-6:30pm (until March 24) NA
The Stop 416-652-7867 1884 Davenport Rd. Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 9-10am and 12-1pm NA
Our Place Community of Hope 416-598-2919 1183 Davenport Rd. Mon-Fri, 2:30-5pm Computers, WiFi, Phone
The Stop: Wychwood Open Doors 416-412-4452 729 St. Clair Ave. W. Tues 4-9:30pm, Wed 9-10am and 12-1pm, Thurs 4-5pm Computers, WiFi
Davenport Perth NCHC 416-656-8025 1900 Davenport Rd. Wed 5-5:30pm NA
Beth Sholom OOTC 416-783-6103 1445 Eglinton Ave. W. TBD Clothing, TTC tokens, Nurse.
Cummer Avenue United Church 416-222-5417 53 Cummer Ave. Wed 9am-2pm Showers, Clothing, Legal support (every 3rd Wed), Nurse (1-2pm)
LAMP 416-252-6471 156 Sixth St. Tues-Thurs 9:30am-1:30pm and Fri 10am-6pm NA
Daily Bread Food Bank 416-203-0050 191 New Toronto St. Thurs, 5:30-7pm NA
All Saints Kingsway OOTC 416-233-1125 2850 Bloor St. W. Fri 6-7:30pm (until March 29) Computers, Clothing, Showers
Warden Woods Teesdale Drop-In 416-500-2583 40 Teesdale Place Wed and Thurs 12-1pm NA
Warden Woods CC 416-694-1138 74 Firvalley Ct. NA NA
ACSA North 647-461-6912 4155 Sheppard Ave. Tues-Fri 9am-3pm, Sat 9am-11pm NA
ACSA South 647-472-6912 202 Markham Rd. Mon, 9am-3pm NA
Casey House 416-962-7600 119 Isabella St. NA Supervised Consumption Site
Fred Victor SIS 416-644-3081 139 Jarvis St. NA Supervised Consumption Site
Moss Park Consumption and Treatment Site 416-546-3984 134 Sherbourne St. Serves meals Supervised Consumption Site
Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre 416-703-8482 168 Bathurst St. NA Supervised Consumption Site
Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre: Parkdale 416-537-2455 1229 Queen St. W. NA Supervised Consumption Site
Regent Park Community Health Centre 416-203-4506 465 Dundas St. E. NA Supervised Consumption Site
KeepSIX 416-461-1925 955 Queen St. E. NA Supervised Consumption Site
Street Health OPS 416-921-8668 338 Dundas St. E. NA Supervised Consumption Site
Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Service 416-925-2103 260 Augusta Ave. NA Supervised Consumption Site
The Works 416-338-7600 277 Victoria St. NA NA
Warming Centre NA 75 Elizabeth St. NA NA
Warming Centre NA 15 Olive Ave. NA NA
Warming Centre NA 885 Scarborough Golf Club Rd. NA NA
Warming Centre NA 136 Spadina Ave. NA NA
Covenant House 416-598-4898 20 Gerrard St E. NA 24-Hour Respite Site call Central Intake at 416-338-4766, 1-877-338-3398
Scott Mission 416-923-8872 502 Spadina Ave. NA 24-Hour Respite Site call Central Intake at 416-338-4766, 1-877-338-3398
Better Living Centre 416-263-3600 195 Princes’ Blvd. NA 24-Hour Respite Site call Central Intake at 416-338-4766, 1-877-338-3398

Information

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Canadian Homeless Shelter System


    Eradicating Homelessness has long been a “dream” of activists and non-activists alike. Its a problem that resonates with most Canadians today since many are facing similar precarious housing situations. The lack of safe and affordable housing is a critical social and economic issue that most political leaders have largely ignored. Perhaps the biggest problem in addressing homelessness is the lack of transparency - we simply do not know how many people are homeless in Canada. Although homelessness is arguably one of the most important social issues of our times, current homeless “counting” strategies appear to be largely ineffective. Access to accurate and timely information about the number of homeless people is the only rational and meaningful way of accurately accessing the success or failure of any proposed solution. Single day census data carried out in a select number of communities is not a very effective or ideal way of monitoring homelessness across the country.
    It’s therefore not surprising that some of the latest government statistics on homelessness, such as National Service Provider List (2022)1,2 and Infrastructure Canada’s Homeless Shelter Capacity Point-in-Time Counts (2022)1,3, paints a very bleak picture of the problem. Besides the increasing rates of homelessness across the country, the “snap-shot” approach to monitoring the homeless population is, as alluded to above, neither desirable nor prudent. According to the NSPL data (Fig. 1) there were approximately 30,402 permanent beds provided by 1,120 emergency and transitional housing shelter services in different parts of Canada in 2022. By comparison Infrastructure Canada’s “Point-in-Time” (PiT) data (2022) shows that in some 72 communities and regions across Canada there were an estimated 39,713 beds provided by 1,725 shelters (Fig. 2). The discrepancies between these two 2022 lists suggests that we also don’t have an accurate measure of the number of shelter service providers in the country.



National Service Provider List (2022)

Figure 1: 2022 National Service Provider List (NSPL). The graph shows the total number of permanent beds provided by various emergency and transitional homeless shelters from each Canadian province and territory. According to the Homelessness Policy Directorate of Infrastructure Canada there were 30,402 beds provided by 1,120 shelters in 2022.1,2



Figure 2: Provincial and Territorial Homeless Shelter Capacity
(Point-in-Time Count Data: 2016 - 2022)


Figure 2: Provincial and Territorial Homeless Shelter Capacity PiT Count Data. The graph shows total number of shelters and shelter beds for each province and territory over a seven year period (2016 - 2022). These counts were carried out on a single day (i.e. “Point-in-Time” or PiT) and thus only provide a brief glimpse of the homeless situations within each of the communities that took part in this census. Overall there were 72 communities and regions that participated in the last three annual PiT counts, and only 67 municipalities that took part in all seven PiT counts. These enumerations were based on three so called “core” locations: (i) Unsheltered locations (i.e. streets, alleys, parks, transit stations, abandoned buildings, encampments, vehicles, ravines, and other outdoor locations), (ii) Sheltered locations (i.e. emergency shelters, extreme weather shelters, Domestic Violence shelters, hotel/motel shelter spaces), and (iii) Transitional housing (i.e. longer-term housing spaces that help individuals transition to more secure housing). Counts based on the latter two locations were supplied by shelter service administrators, while counts carried out in unsheltered locations were generated by survey. Counts generated by survey also included: (i) individuals who were observed to be experiencing homelessness outside, but were unable to complete the survey; (ii) people within health and correctional facilities; and (iii) people who staid with other people due to the lack of a permanent residence (e.g. “couch surfacing”).1,3



Figure 3: Homeless Shelter Capacity - Infrastructure Canada
(Point-in-Time Census Data: 2016 - 2022)

Figure 3: National Homeless Shelter Capacity PiT Data (2016 - 2022). The graph shows the overall national “Point-in-Time” (PiT) census of (i) Domestic violence, (ii) Emergency, and (iii) Transitional homeless shelters across Canada for the indicated time period. The latest counts (2022) show that there were a total of 39,713 shelter beds provided by 1,725 shelter service providers in 72 communities and regions from across Canada. Three different types of shelters make up these totals, including: (i) 518 Emergency Shelters that account for 18,467 beds; (ii) 602 Transitional Housing spaces that account for 11,935 beds; and (iii) 605 Domestic Violence Shelters that account for 9,311 beds.1,3



GTA Shelter System - Population in Crisis


Homelessness, as defined by Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH, formerly the Canadian Homelessness Research Network):

describes the situation of an individual, family or community without stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it. It is the result of systemic or societal barriers, a lack of affordable and appropriate housing, the individual/household’s financial, mental, cognitive, behavioural or physical challenges, and/or racism and discrimination.”4

The negative social and economic consequences of homelessness in Canada are enormous. Homelessness has in fact flourished in past few decades, largely because of a lack of government leadership. The current shelter strategy that “warehouses” the poor, keeping them “out-of-sight” and “out-of-mind”, has failed miserably. These types of “band-aide” solutions simply do not address the root causes of homelessness.

In some ways, it is simple: Canada can choose to invest an average of $2 billion annually to save $4 billion, and bolster urban economies, keep hundreds of thousands of Canadians healthy and productive as well as ensure productive futures. Or we can simply continue with the status quo and hope that things correct themselves, although after nearly 15 years since the original 1993 federal retreat from housing, Canada has succeeded mainly in increasing homelessness.”5

In fact, the current status quo is “actually really expensive”.6 It is far cheaper and more cost effective to provide homeless people with real housing, as apposed to “band-aide” solutions like shelters, hostels, warming centres and other like-minded temporary emergency services. Current evidence based research clearly “points to the fact that if we do things differently, we not only achieve better social outcomes, but we also save money.”6 Homelessness is estimated to cost the Canadian economy 7.05 billion dollars on an annual basis.

The chronic lack of safe and affordable housing, along with the growing economic divide between rich and poor, needs to be addressed by all levels of governments. The current scatter-shot approach to mitigating or eliminating homelessness and poverty, which are inextricably linked, has produced little in the way of real positive social/economic change.

Not repeating past mistakes should at least be a first line of defence…[such as]curtailed social assistance…punitively low minimum wage rates…tax incentives that ignore renters and those on social assistance…cutbacks to social services and health.”5


About Toronto’s Shelter System:
Information in this report is based on a number of Shelter and Homelessness records that are freely available for download from the City of Toronto’s Open Data Portal. The following is a brief overview of the main datasets analyzed by our group, the Voices 4 Unhoused Liberation.
(i) Central Intake (CI)7 is the entry point for persons in need of emergency shelter services. People able to access CI’s 24/7 telephone line (416-338-4766 or 1-877-338-3398) can potentially receive a referral to an emergency shelter or other overnight accommodations. This dataset contains records of calls received by CI, and the outcomes of those calls (e.g. # unique individuals who contact CI, but were not matched to a shelter space each day). All of this information is collected by the city of Toronto’s Shelter Management Information System (SMIS). Callers not matched to an available space that suits their needs remain in the queue until they can be provided a referral, or until the closeout process at the end of the night at 4:00 AM. These daily call counts and outcomes (i.e. SMIS assigns codes for various outcomes) are collected and reported on a monthly basis (i.e. monthly updates are published on the 15th day of the following month). CI uses 13 distinct wrap-up codes to classify the daily calls they receive. Unfortunately, these codes only provide information about the volume and types of calls, and do not contain information about the outcomes of said referrals (Table 1).
(ii) Toronto Shelter System Flow (TSSF)8 data is compiled on a monthly basis by the city of Toronto’s Shelter Management Information System (SMIS). These records show the number of people entering (intake) or leaving (outtake) the shelter system. Some of the terms used in these records are listed in Table 2. Unfortunately, the current SMIS data is limited since it does not include any information about homeless people sleeping outdoors, or homeless people who do not use city funded services that are apart of SMIS. Although it is difficult to assess the exact number of homelessness people within the city, the most recent Street Needs Assessment (2021) suggests that ~18% of city’s homeless population are not included in the current data. This is likely an under estimate of its “true” size given the severity of the current housing and homelessness problems within the region.8
(iii) Daily Shelter Overnight Service Occupancy (DSOSO)9 records maintained by SMIS is compiled on a daily basis. It records the number of people who use overnight shelters and allied services within the GTA. The data includes the identify of program operators, as well as the locations and nature of the services they provide (Table 3).6
    Unfortunately there is little information about the amount of funding the city receives and allocates for these different homeless programs and services. The DSOSO data only mentions Funding Capacity within the context of the “number of beds or rooms that a program is intended [funded] to provide”.9 Although there may be a number of reasons why beds or rooms may be temporarily out of service (e.g. repairs, renovations, outbreaks, or pest control) they are not reported. These records also mention Actual Capacity, which refers to the “number of beds or rooms in service and showing as available for occupancy in the SMIS at time of reporting.” This latter measure is touted as being “a more effective capacity measure to assess program occupancy rates”. However, the number of unavailable rooms or beds (Note: # UNAVAILABLE BEDS = Capacity Funding Bed - Capacity Actual Bed) also tells us the number of rooms/beds the current system is funding but not using on a daily basis. Unfortunately there appears to be little oversight of the service providers with regards to reducing or eliminating bed/room “unavailability”, and the draconian nature of the service restrictions they impose on clients.


TABLE 1. CENTRAL INTAKE CALL CENTRE FEATURES
Term7 Definition7
Date Data recorded up until “close-out”, which is completed at 4:00 AM, is included in the daily reports (i.e. Jan 2nd 4 AM data would be included as part of Jan 1st operational record).
Unmatched Callers Total individuals who were not able to be offered a space over the past 24 hours, at time of closeout at 4:00 AM.
Single Call Number of unmatched callers who had called Central Intake a single time on this date.
Repeat Caller Number of unmatched callers who had called Central Intake two or more times on this date.



TABLE 2. TSSF DATA FEATURES
Term8 Definition8
Chronic homelessness These are people who meet one of the two following criteria, as per the federal definition of chronic homelessness. The person has recorded a minimum of 180 overnight stay in the past year (365 days); or the person has recurrent overnight stays over the past three years with a cumulative duration of at least 546 nights.
Youth These are unaccompanied youth who are between the ages of 16 and 24 by the last date of the reporting month. They are not members of a “family”, which is another term use in these records that refers to individuals who stay in a family designated overnight service.
Single Adult An individual who is classified as neither a youth, nor a member of a family
Refugees People who identify either as a “refugee” upon intake to the shelter system, or who enter the system via a designated refugee shelter program. It applies to all household members as answered by the head of the household.
Indigenous An individual who self-identifies as First Nations (status, non-status, treaty, non-treaty), Metis or Inuit in at least one of the intakes completed in SMIS.
All Populations This refers to the total number of individuals represented in the report without any demographic breakdown.
Returned from Housing Individuals who were previously recorded as “Moved to Permanent Housing” but returned to an overnight service in the reporting month.
Newly Identified People who entered the shelter system for the first time.
Moved to Housing People who were using the shelter system and have moved to permanent housing.
Returned to Shelter People who were previously using the shelter system, then did not use the system for 3 months or longer, and have now returned. Some other communities may call this indicator “Returned from Inactive”.
Inactive People who were using the shelter system previously, but have not used the shelter system in the past three months. Some other communities may call this indicator “Moved to Inactive”.



TABLE 3. DSOSO DATASET CATEGORIES/TERMS
Term9 Definition9
OCCUPANCY DATE This date refers to the evening of the overnight period being reported. The occupancy data is retrieved at 4:00 AM the following morning (e.g. Jan. 1st, 2024 record => data collected at 4:00 AM Jan. 2nd, 2024).
SERVICE USER COUNT The number of service users staying in an overnight program as of the occupancy time and date. Programs with no service user occupancy will not be included in reporting for that day.
PROGRAM ID Provides a distinct or unique ID of the program even if the program name changes.
SECTOR A category or type of homeless shelter that is based on gender, age and household size of the service user group(s) being served at the shelter site. There are currently 5 shelter sectors in Toronto: (i) adult men, (ii) adult women, (iii) mixed adult (co-ed or all gender), (iv) youth, and (v) family.
PROGRAM MODEL Basic classification scheme that divides the shelter program into two groups: (i) Emergency or (ii) Transitional. The Emergency program can be accessed by any individual or family experiencing homelessness with or without a referral, while the Transitional program provides required and/or specialized programming that can be accessed by eligible individuals and families experiencing homelessness by referral only.
OVERNIGHT SERVICE TYPE The types of overnight service being provided include: (i) Shelter, (ii) 24-Hour Respite, (iii) Motel/Hotel, (iv) Interim Housing, (v) Warming Centre, (vi) 24-Hour Women’s Drop-in, and (vi) Isolation/Recovery Site.
Shelter: Supervised residential facilities that provide temporary accommodation and related support services to assist people experiencing homelessness to move into housing. Operate year-round. 24-Hour Respite: An allied shelter service which provides essential services to individuals experiencing homelessness in an environment that prioritizes ease of access to safe indoor space. Services provided include resting spaces, meals and service referrals. Operates on a 24/7 basis. Motel/Hotel: A type of shelter program that provides shelter beds/rooms through contracts with hotel and motel operators, which enables the City to expand and contract emergency shelter capacity in response to demand for services. Interim Housing: A type of shelter program that provides interim housing shelter beds through contracts with apartment spaces. Warming Centre: An allied shelter service that provides immediate safe indoor space for people during extreme cold weather alerts. Facilities vary, but often include City of Toronto buildings or community recreation centres. Services vary, depending on the facility, and may include at a minimum resting spaces, snacks and referrals to emergency shelter. Operates on a 24/7 basis for the duration of an extreme cold weather alert. 24-Hour Women’s Drop-in: A type of 24-Hour Respite Site that provides services to women and transgender or gender-non-binary people who are experiencing homelessness. Isolation/Recovery Site: Dedicated isolation and recovery programs with medical supports for people experiencing homelessness to isolate and recover from COVID-19.
PROGRAM AREA Identifies either Base Shelter and Overnight Services system programs, or Temporary Response system programs. (i) Base Shelter and Overnight Services System: are intended to be regular, year-round programs. (ii) Base Program - Refugee: are intended to be year-round programs that serve refugee and asylum claimant families and individuals. (iii) Temporary Refugee Response: are intended to create spaces in the overnight services system in order to support refugee and asylum claimant families and individuals. (iv) COVID-19 Response: Programs that are intended to create spaces in the overnight services system in order to support improved physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. (v) Winter Response: are intended to be exclusively dedicated to the provision of additional spaces under winter services plans. Winter service planning may also add additional capacity to existing programs classified in other program areas.
CAPACITY TYPE Program provides either room or bed based capacity. (i) Bed Based Capacity: where occupancy is measured at the bed level and typically involve common sleeping areas. (ii)Room Based Capacity: where occupancy is measured at the room level and is typically of family programs or hotel-based programs where sleeping rooms are not shared by people from different households.
CAPACITY ACTUAL (BED/ROOM) The number of beds or rooms showing as available for occupancy in the Shelter Management Information System (SMIS).
CAPACITY FUNDING (BED/ROOM) The number of rooms or beds that a program has been approved to provide.
UNAVAILABLE ROOMS/BEDS The number of beds or rooms that are not currently available in a program. This can include temporarily out-of-service beds due to maintenance, repairs, renovations, outbreaks and pest control (**NOTE: UNAVAILABLE = CAPACITY FUNDING - CAPACITY ACTUAL).



Toronto CIC and TSSF Data

Figure 4: Toronto Central Intake Centre (CIC)
(Current Data: 2020/11/03 - 2024/03/31)

Figure 4. Toronto Central Intake Daily Call Totals. The plotted data, which was taken from the “Central Intake Call Wrap-Up Codes” dataset, provides daily counts of calls answered by Central Intake Centre (CIC). The calls are classified by a caseworker using 13 distinct “wrap-up” codes (i.e. describes general nature of the call). These daily SMIS records are manually updated on a monthly basis. Although the “wrap-up” codes provide information related to the volume and type of calls received, it does not track requests made by unique individuals, nor the ultimate outcomes of referrals.7 Looking at the plotted data it is evident that there has been an overall increase in the number of calls to CIC. Unfortunately it appears that few callers were able to successfully obtain a referral for an overnight sleeping or resting space (colour coded). This low success rate has been particularly pronounced within the last 10 months.



Figure 5: Toronto Central Intake Centre (CIC)
(Current Data: 2020/10/30 - 2024/03/31)

Figure 5. Toronto Central Intake Total Numbers of Daily Unmatched Callers. The plotted data, taken from the monthly updated “Central Intake Service Queue” dataset, provides daily counts of unique individuals who contacted the CIC to access an emergency shelter, but were not matched to a shelter space. The SMIS service queue caller data details when a bed was requested for a caller seeking a shelter space. An unmatched caller (i.e. person not given a referral to an available space that suits their needs at the time of their call) remains in the queue until either they were are provided a referral, or until “close-out” (i.e. 4:00 AM, end of the night). The data only contains three features, namely: (i) date of the call, (ii) total number of Unmatched Callers, and (iii) whether the caller phoned once (i.e. Single Caller) or multiple times (i.e. Repeat Caller).7 Looking at the plotted data it is evident that there has been a steady increase in the number of callers not receiving a referral to an overnight sleeping space or safe shelter despite repeated calls.




Figure 6: Toronto Shelter System Flow (TSSF)
(SMIS dataset: 2018/01 - 2024/03)

Figure 6. Toronto Shelter System Flow Data Total Numbers. This plot shows the total number of “actively” homeless people according to SMIS records. The TSSF data is only updated on a monthly basis (e.g. recent March 2024 data was updated on April 15th). The data is only based on those people who have used overnight services that are monitored by SMIS (i.e. excludes people who sleep outdoors or who use non-SMIS homeless services). The changing width of the plotted line reflects the changing dynamics of the homeless population over this 6 year period. Clearly the number of homeless people remains high within the GTA. The recent all time high of 11,173 “actively” homeless people for Feb/2024 is currently ebbing somewhat (10,833 Mar/2024). This is perhaps due to the warmer weather as many homeless people often escape the shelter system for safer environs. Although far from complete the TSSF records appear (for some unknown reason) to be more extensive than the DSOSO records since the latter dataset reports fewer homeless people (i.e. 9,748 for Mar 1st, 9,653 for Mar 15th, and 9,687 for Mar 31st 2024). This discrepancy in the number of homeless people is a bit disconcerting given that both datasets are reportedly based on the same SMIS records.


Figure 7: Toronto Shelter System Flow (TSSF)
(SMIS dataset: 2018/01 - 2024/03)

Figure 7. Demographics of TSSF dataset. The above plot shows the number of “actively” homeless people classified as either (i) Chronically homeless, (ii) a member of a homeless Family, (iii) Indigenous, (iv) a non-refugee, (v) a refugee, (vi) a single adult (> 24 yrs), or a (vii) Youth (16-24 yrs) who is not a member of an homeless family. Like Figure 6, the changing width of the plotted line reflects the changing dynamics of each homeless group. Currently (Mar 2024) the largest homeless demographic group is single adults (Note: 7266 single adults, or 67.1%, compared to 2555 family members, or 23.6%, and 1012 youths, or 9.3%). Adults (> 24 yrs) also make up ~77% (4835/6288) of the chronic homeless population. The homeless refugee population (5805, or 53.6%) slightly out numbers the homeless non-refugee population (5028, or 46.4%).



Figure 8: Toronto Shelter System Flow (TSSF)
(SMIS dataset: 2018/01 - 2024/03)

Figure 8. Demographics of TSSF - In/Out Shelter Flow. The above plot shows the number of people for each of the indicated demographic groups who have either entered or exited the shelter system since 2018. The plotted number of shelter occupants is an aggregate of those who are new to the shelter system and those who have previously left the shelter system and subsequently returned to the shelter system. The above plots also show the number of individuals who have left the shelter system for permanent housing (i.e. represented by the colour of the plotted line, see colour coded number scale). The above plot, like the one shown in Figure 7, contains the following demographic groups: (i) Chronically homeless, (ii) Family members, (iii) Young people (16-24 yrs), (iv) Indigenous people, (v) single adults (> 24 yrs), (vi) refugees, and (vii) non-refugees. Overall, these plots clearly show that the number of homeless people moving out of the shelter system and into permanent housing are relatively few in number. Indigenous and Young (< 24 yrs) people appear to be the two groups most affected by the lack of access to permanent housing over the past 6 years. Moreover, there is another relatively large group of former shelter occupants, termed “Inactive” or “Moved to Inactive”, that are not represented in these plots. According to TSSF records these are people who were using the shelter system up until three months ago, but have apparently fallen off the “radar” (i.e. housing or homeless status currently unknown).



Toronto DSOSO Data

Figure 9: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Period: 2021/01/01 - 2024/04/21)

Figure 9. Total Shelter Population within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The above plot shows the total number of daily shelter users for the period spanning 2021-01-01 to 2024-04-21. The number of shelter occupants have increased by more than 63% during this time.



Figure 10: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Regional Numbers)

Figure 10. Shelter Population per GTA region. The plot shows the total number of shelter users within different parts of the GTA (i.e. Toronto, North York, Etobicoke, Scarborough, Vaughan) for the past ~40 months (2021-01-01 to 2024-04-21). The data reveals that the vast majority of shelter users are currently being housed within Toronto and North York (see Bar graph in Figure 10).



Figure 11: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Regional Numbers: 2024-04-21)

Figure 11. Current Shelter Populations per GTA Region. This bar graph shows the current (2024-04-21) number of shelter occupants within each of the designated GTA regions. Toronto (68.5%) and North York (18.3%) shelter the majority of homeless people, while Scarborough (8.7%), Etobicoke (3.9%), and Vaughan (0.6%) collectively house less than 14% of the homeless population.



Figure 12: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Shelter Sector Numbers)

Figure 12. Homeless Demographics within the GTA Region. The above graph looks at some homeless demographics within the GTA. The number of individuals within each of the designated homeless groups (i.e. men, women, families, Youth and Mixed adults) have rapidly increased over the last 3 years. Also, the size of the Mixed adult population has fluctuated quite dramatically over the past two years. Possible reasons for this may be due to the fluctuating number of designated “mixed adult” shelter spaces. For example, some service providers, like Homes First, are unilaterally transitioning some of their shelter spaces (e.g. Delta Hotel Shelter, Scarborough) to a select homeless population (i.e. refugee only) at the expense of other homeless people (i.e. non-refugees mixed adult population). Note that the fate of the Delta non-refugee homeless population has largely being determined by Ward 22 councillor Nick Mantas, who’s NIMBY motion to rid the Delta shelter of non-refugee residents was passed by Toronto City Council meeting back in Feb 2024.



Figure 13: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Program Model Numbers)

Figure 13. Homeless Population Program Model. The above graph looks at the designated Emergency and Transitional shelter programs within the GTA. According to City of Toronto’s Housing + Homelessness Service Glossary (2019)10 the Emergency Shelter Program constitutes a homeless shelter program that individuals and families can access without a referral. By contrast a Transitional Shelter Program constitutes a homeless program that individuals and families can access only with a referral. The plotted DSOSO data clearly shows that only ~1 out of every 10 homeless individuals have been able to access a referral. This poor referral rate is also evident from the data plotted in Figure 4 and Figure 5.



Figure 14: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Service Type Numbers)

Figure 14. Homeless Overnight Service Types within the GTA. Homeless individuals within the GTA can access different types of overnight services, including: (i) Shelters, (ii) 24-Hour Respites, (iii) Motels/Hotels, (iv) Interim Housing, (v) Warming Centres, (vi) 24-Hour Women’s Drop-ins, and (vii) Isolation/Recovery Sites. There are a few other Service Types offered, but they are ill-defined and accessed by very few people. As of April 21st 2024 the vast majority of Service Types are emergency type Shelter (4845, or 48.9%) and Motel/Hotel (4461, or 45%) services. Unfortunately, services that help homeless people transition to safer and more affordable permanent housing are largely non-existent within the Toronto Shelter system.



Figure 15: GTA Shelter Population (DSOSO)
(Program Area Numbers)

Figure 15. Homeless Program Area within the GTA. Homeless programs can be categorized as either: (i) Base Shelter, (ii) Base Program - Refugee, (iii) Temporary Refugee Response, (iv) COVID-19 Response, or (v) Winter Response. Generally they can be classified as either regular (i.e. year-round) or temporary programs. The rising numbers of homeless refugees and along with the long-term health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be driving the growing homeless population within the GTA. Even the cyclic Winter Response program, which normally spikes during the cold season, experienced a considerable rise in the number of homeless people during the last winter season.



Figure 16: Homes First - Mixed Adult COVID-19 Program, Delta Hotel Shelter
(DSOSO: # Occupants)


Figure 17: Homes First - Mixed Adult COVID-19 Program, Delta Hotel Shelter
(DSOSO: # Unavailable Rooms)

Figure 16 & 17. Homes First’s Delta Hotel Shelter. These two graphs show the number of rooms at the Delta Hotel Shelter that are either occupied (Figure 16) or unoccupied (Figure 17). Although the number of occupants have been steadily decreasing between Feb 5th to April 4th, the recent influx of refugees has rapidly corrected these falling numbers. The rapid changes in the number of people sheltered at the Delta Hotel over the past 2 months is also reflected in the number of unavailable rooms at the Delta shelter (Figure 17). The fitted Loess (LOcal regrESSion) curve is fairly well defined (i.e. residuals are fairly constant over the chosen range of x values), which suggests “real” trends in the data (e.g. rapid increase in # unavailable rooms between Feb 5th and April 4th, followed by a quick reversal of this trend between April 4th to present). Nevertheless, it is important to note that the overnight Delta Hotel Shelter (Program ID 16011) supervised by Homes First is, according to DSOSO records, a designated mixed adult (Sector) shelter that falls under the emergency COVID-19 Program. So it is by definition not a refugee-only shelter space. According to Homes First, which runs many other additional shelter and supportive housing sites, their mission is to “develop and provide affordable, stable housing and support services to break the cycle of homelessness for people with the fewest housing options”. However, despite the continuing rise in the number of homeless persons in Toronto (Fig. 6,9,12,13), as well as the recent influx of Federal dollars ($162 million) to support the Toronto shelter system, Homes First has unilaterally decided to transition the Delta Hotel Shelter to a refugee only space (i.e. no consultations with residents). Apparently, in accordance with the wishes of local Ward 22 councillor Nick Mantas, the shelter is actively trying to move or evict people from the safety of this shelter. Many have already faced “service restrictions” without any appeals process. Even the newly implemented appeals process typically results in the eviction of the client at the end of the restriction period. It is important to note that during the time it takes to resolve the appeal process the client is removed from the shelter and forced to find accommodations on their own (i.e. left homeless). Homes First’s refusal to consult with Delta residents about the fate of the shelter, one that directly impacts their immediate and future well being, is both imprudent and overtly punitive in nature. Many residents are afraid that they will be forced to move back onto the streets, or into some unsafe open shelter space. Many have already been severely traumatized (i.e. physically and verbally assaulted, victims of theft, witness friends and people die) by many of the current shelter providers. The lack of transparency about the fate of the Delta shelter has only heightened the resident’s fears, anxiety and distrust of Homes First. This situation has only been exacerbated by the lack of available housing workers at the Delta shelter. The current drive to transition the Delta Hotel to a refugee-only shelter, at the expense of non-refugees, is perplexing given the recent influx of Federal dollars into the Toronto shelter system. Shelter spaces should be inclusive by nature, and not resort to punitive measures that divide and further traumatize the most marginalized members of our society.



References

1. Havi Echenberg and Laura Munn-Rivard (2020). Defining and Enumerating Homelessness in Canada. Publication No. 2020-41-E, Parliamentary Information and Research Service, © Library of Parliament, Ottawa, Canada 2020.

2. The National Service Provider List - The National Service Provider List - 2022.

3. Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0353-01 Homeless Shelter Capacity in Canada from 2016 to 2022, Infrastructure Canada. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/1410035301-eng

4. Gaetz, S.; Barr, C.; Friesen, A.; Harris, B.; Hill, C.; Kovacs-Burns, K.; Pauly, B.; Pearce, B.; Turner, A.; Marsolais, A. (2012). Canadian Definition of Homelessness. Toronto: Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Press. www.homelesshub.ca/homelessdefinition

5. Laird, Gordon (2007). SHELTER - Homelessness in a growth economy: Canada’s 21st century paradox. Report for the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership.

6. Gaetz, Stephen (2012). The Real Cost of Homelessness: Can We Save Money by Doing the Right Thing? Toronto: Canadian Homelessness Research Network Press.

7. City of Toronto (2024). Central Intake Calls (CIC).

8. City of Toronto (2024). Toronto Shelter System Flow (TSSF).

9. City of Toronto (2024). Daily Shelter and Overnight Service Occupancy and Capacity (DSOSO).

10. City of Toronto - Housing Stability Service System Overview (2019). Housing + Homelessness Service Glossary.